Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM’s address at the inauguration of newly constructed EWS flats in Kalkaji, Delhi
Present in the program are my colleagues in the Cabinet Shri Hardeep Singh Puri ji, Ministers of State Shri Kaushal Kishore ji and Meenakshi Lekhi ji, Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena ji, hon’ble MPs of Delhi, other dignitaries, all the enthusiastic beneficiaries, brothers and sisters!
Vigyan Bhawan hosts several programs attended by people wearing coats, pants, ties, etc. But it is rare to see the zeal and enthusiasm which is visible among our family members today at Vigyan Bhawan. Today is a very important day for hundreds of families, for thousands of our poor brothers and sisters of Delhi. It is kind of a new beginning of life for families who were living in the slums of Delhi for years. The campaign to provide pucca houses to the poor families of Delhi will fulfill the dream of thousands of poor families. Today hundreds of beneficiaries have got the keys to their houses. I could see the happiness and contentment on the faces of four-five families whom I met today. More than 3,000 houses have been built for Kalkaji Extension in the first phase and very soon other families residing here will also get their houses. I am sure the efforts made by the Government of India will play a big role in making Delhi a model city in the near future.
Friends,
It is the sweat and hard work of these poor brothers and sisters which lays the foundation for the progress, big dreams and high rises that we see in big cities like Delhi. But unfortunately, and this is a fact, that the poor who put their blood and sweat in the development of cities are forced to live a life of misery in the same city. The construction remains incomplete as long as those who construct such buildings are left behind. Our cities were deprived of holistic and balanced development in the last seven decades. There are dilapidated slums next to the cities which have glittering high-rise buildings. On one hand, some areas in the city are called posh; on the other hand, people in many areas of the same city continue to long for the basic necessities of life. How can one expect holistic development when there is so much inequality and discrimination in the same city? We need to bridge this gap in the ‘Amrit Kaal’ of independence. Therefore, the country is striving for the growth of all by following the mantra of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas'.
Friends,
The system that prevailed in the country for decades continued to regard that poverty is only the problem of the poor. But there is a pro-poor government in the country today which cannot leave the poor to fend for themselves. Therefore, today the poor are at the center of the country's policies. The poor are at the center of the nation's decisions today. Our government is paying equal attention especially to the poor brothers and sisters living in the cities.
Friends,
One would be surprised to know that there were more than 50 lakh people in Delhi who did not even have their bank accounts. These people were not part of the banking system of India and were deprived of the banking advantages. The truth was that the poor were afraid to even step into the banks. These people lived in Delhi, but Delhi was too far for them. Our government changed this situation. A campaign was run and bank accounts of the poor of Delhi and the country were opened. At that time, hardly anyone could have imagined its benefits. Today the poor of Delhi are also getting the benefits of the government's schemes. There are thousands of street vendors in Delhi who sell vegetables and fruits. There are many companions who drive auto-rickshaws and taxis. There would hardly be anybody among them who does not have BHIM-UPI today! They get money directly in their mobile phones and they make payments from mobile phones also. It is a great financial security for them. The advantage of connecting with the banking system has also become the basis of the PM SVANidhi Yojana. Under this scheme, financial assistance is being given to our street vendors living in the cities to pursue their work. And I am happy that more than 50,000 street vendor brothers and sisters of Delhi have taken advantage of the SVANidhi Yojana. Apart from this, the assistance of more than 30,000 crore rupees without guarantee under the Mudra scheme has also helped the small entrepreneurs of Delhi a lot.
Friends,
Our poor friends face a major problem due to the inconsistencies related to the ration card. We have made life easier for lakhs of poor people of Delhi by provisioning 'One Nation, One Ration Card'. The ration card of our migrant workers would become useless and a mere piece of paper if they went to work in other states. This created a ration crisis for them. They have now got rid of this problem due to the 'One Nation, One Ration Card'. The poor of Delhi have also taken advantage of this scheme during the Corona global pandemic. During this global crisis, the central government has been giving free ration to lakhs of poor people of Delhi for the last two years. The Central Government has spent more than 2,500 crore rupees on this scheme in Delhi alone. Now tell me, how much money I should have spent on advertisements for citing so many things. How many pages of advertisements did you see in newspapers with the photos of Modi? The work that I have listed is very little; otherwise, time will run out. We are here to make a difference in your life.
Friends,
The central government has also given insurance cover to more than 40 lakh poor people in Delhi. There is also the facility of Jan Aushadhi Kendras for affordable medicines. When there is this security in the life of the poor, he works hard with all his might. He works hard to get himself out of poverty and to defeat poverty. How important this certainty is in the life of the poor, no one can know it better than a poor person.
Friends,
Another issue has been the unauthorized colonies built in Delhi decades ago. Lakhs of our brothers and sisters live in these colonies. They spent their whole life worrying about their homes. The central government also took upon itself to lessen the worries of the people of Delhi. A campaign is on to regularize the houses built in unauthorized colonies of Delhi under the PM-UDAY scheme. Thousands of people have already taken advantage of this scheme till now. The central government has also provided a lot of help to the middle class people of Delhi in fulfilling the dreams of their own home. The central government is providing subsidies to the lower and middle class people of Delhi to build their own house. The central government has already spent more than Rs 700 crore in this regard.
Friends,
The central government aims to make Delhi a grand and amenable city befitting the capital of the country. The people, the poor and the vast middle class of Delhi, are witness to the works we have done to speed up the development of Delhi. I talked about the Aspirational Society of the country from the ramparts of the Red Fort this year. Delhi's poor or middle class people are aspirational as well as full of phenomenal talent. Their convenience and fulfillment of their aspirations is one of the top priorities of the government.
Friends,
The metro used to run only on a 190 km route in Delhi-NCR when our government was formed in 2014. Today, the expansion of the metro in Delhi-NCR has increased to about 400 km. In the last eight years, 135 new metro stations have been built here. Today a large number of college going sons and daughters and salaried people write letters of gratitude to me for the metro service in Delhi. With the expansion of metro services, their money as well as their time is also being saved. In order to provide relief to Delhi from traffic congestion, roads are being widened and modernized by the Government of India with an investment of Rs. 50,000 crores. On the one hand, peripheral expressways are being built; on the other hand, constructions like ‘Kartavya Path’ are also taking place in Delhi. The central government is carrying out many development projects, be it Dwarka Expressway or Urban Extension Road, Akshardham to Baghpat six-lane Access Control Highway or elevated corridor in the form of Gurugram-Sohna Road, in Delhi which will expand modern infrastructure in the capital of the country.
Friends,
Rapid Rail services for Delhi NCR are also going to resume in the near future. You must have also seen the pictures of the grand construction of New Delhi Railway Station. I am happy that the construction of Bharat Vandana Park on 80 hectares of land in Dwarka is now nearing completion in the next few months. I am told that DDA maintains over 700 big parks in Delhi. Various parks are being developed by DDA on the 22 km stretch between Wazirabad Barrage and Okhla Barrage.
Friends,
I definitely have some expectations from my poor brothers and sisters who are going to make a new beginning in their life today. If I expect something from you, will you fulfill it? Can I give you some responsibility? Will you fulfill it? Will you forget it or not? You see, the Government of India is constructing crores of houses for the poor with the facilities of tap water and electricity connection. Ujjwala cylinders are also being provided so that mothers and sisters can cook without smoke. In the midst of these facilities, we have to make sure that we use only LED bulbs in our houses. Will you do it? Secondly, we will not allow water to be wasted in our colonies under any circumstances. Otherwise, you know what some people do. They keep the bucket upside down in the bathroom and keep the tap water on. For the people who have to get up at 6 a.m., it acts as an alarm bell. They wake up with the sound of the tap water falling on the bucket. It is very important to save water and electricity. And importantly, we should not allow a slum-like environment here. Our colonies should be clean and beautiful. I would suggest you hold cleanliness competition among towers in your colony. It is our responsibility to end this decades-long perception regarding slums that they remain filthy. I am sure you will keep playing your role in the development of Delhi and the country and this relentless journey of development of Delhi and the country will continue with the contribution of every citizen of Delhi. With this belief, I wish you all the very best and many congratulations. Thanks a lot!
DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.